The present system generally relates to therapies for patients with heart dysfunction, such as congestive heart failure and other dysfunctions after a heart attack. Some embodiments of the present system more specifically relate to catheter-based therapies for heart dysfunction. Some embodiments of the present system also relate specifically to cell-based therapies for heart dysfunction.
In the United States, there are an estimated 7,750,000 adults that have survived a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. These myocardial infarctions often lead to congestive heart failure and potentially life threatening heart rhythm disorders. Cell-based therapy has emerged as an encouraging approach to rebuilding such damaged hearts. In particular, catheter-based transendocardial injection is considered a promising delivery mode. Examples of therapeutic agents comprise mesenchymal stem cells and skeletal myoblasts.
Effective catheter-based delivery of a therapeutic agent requires knowledge of the internal architecture of the left ventricle and the ability to position and orient the catheter in the left ventricular chamber. Furthermore, the ability to penetrate and inject a therapeutic agent into the myocardium is required, typically by means of an injection needle. It would be advantageous if an endoventricular injection catheter comprised integrated echocardiographic capabilities that enabled real-time image guidance to control depth of needle injection into left ventricular wall and prevent myocardial perforation. It would be further advantageous if the same catheter could be used to identify infarcted regions in order to indicate suitable injection sites. It would be still further advantageous if leakage of the therapeutic agent could be prevented following removal of the injection needle. It would be yet still further advantageous if the therapeutic agent could be delivered from a distal reservoir to minimize trauma to the therapeutic cells during delivery.